Tourists visiting Rio may soon have to pay just in case they're mugged.

It's been 23 years, so who has claimed Pablo Escobar's crown? This is who has taken over the notorious Colombian drug overlord's trade.

This is the heartbreaking moment a Brazilian footballer found out he was to become a father - just one week before he was killed in the Colombian jet crash.

Chapecoense goalkeeper Danilo was one of just seven people initially found alive after a charter plane crashed in Colombia killing 75 people.

The footballers of Chapecoense changed to the doomed plane after Brazilian officials prevented them from taking a charter flight, it has been claimed.

A 6.4 magnitude earthquake has hit Argentina, according to the US Geological Survey.

John Key has a new bromance, this time with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Remarkable new images have emerged of an uncontacted tribal community in the Brazilian Amazon which environmentalists fear could be destroyed by outside influences.

Learning to drive can be hard, but learning it in a new language is almost impossible. But that's changing for refugees in Hamilton. Made with funding from NZ On Air.

Watch NZH Local Focus: The largest container ship to enter a New Zealand port, the MV Aotea Maersk, has made its maiden visit to Tauranga.

Topsy-turvy weather in Brazil is pushing up the cost of commodities in your breakfast drink.

A year and a half after being led out of the forest and receiving health care, two women have abandoned village life for the forest they know.

An open mind is all you need to see the world, writes Leila George.

Derek Cheng rejoices in the spectacular scenery of Nahuel Huapi National Park.

Sao Paulo's just a 60-minute flight from the Olympic host city, but worlds apart in spirit and style.

Zac Efron has revealed he felt compelled to fly all the way to Rio to meet US gymnast Simone Biles as soon as he heard she was a fan of his.

The Mocona Falls almost seems to defy logic.

A dire hotel accommodation shortage has opened the city's poorest favelas to tourists.

This spot in Venezuela is struck by more lightning than anywhere else in the world, creating spectacular electric storms. What on Earth is going on?

COMMENT: Polynesian communities will be hopelessly under-represented in the New Zealand Olympic team in Brazil. Dylan Cleaver explains why.

Amid shortages and after 50 years of living in retail darkness due, the light has snapped on for many Cubans.

Two new cave paintings have been discovered near the Machu Picchu ruins in Peru.

COMMENT: With less than a month to go until Rio, serious concerns have been raised about the safety of tourists and teams arriving in the city.

Lima's huge shantytowns are not the standard fare of tourists, but for some, they're precisely why they come.

Rio is polluted, dangerous and often downright overwhelming. Alexis Carey recommends you don't miss it.

With the Olympics only a month away, the spotlight is on Brazil as it prepares for half a million tourists from around the world to arrive.

While Uruguay doesn't have big-ticket tourist attractions like Iguazu Falls and Christ the Redeemer, it definitely deserves to be a tourist destination in its own right.

Auckland Zoo needs your help to name two new arrivals - a pair of male capybara pups.

Peru is one of those places you go to once and fall head over heels in love. It will surprise you, enchant you and have you craving for more.

What's in the basement of his hotel? Nicholas Jones knows, but will he be allowed to go there?